Kabbalah

Ok, just curious if anyone on this board has or is studying Kabbalah. I'm interested in finding out what the fanaticism is about. I bought The Power of Kaballah, which desribes itself as a textbook. So far, the principles are either scientific or metaphysical. They discuss the Big Bang theory and its effects upon the human race, but they also talk about a great "curtain," the idea being that behind that curtain is all the "light" we need, but most of us never pull it back.

I'm not converting or even diving into this pratice, but because it's been all the rage I wanted to know what it was about before I began judging it.

So, anyone care to enlighten me?

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"but they also talk about a great "curtain," the idea being that behind that curtain is all the "light" we need, but most of us never pull it back."

Wasn't that the plot line of the last Harry Potter book?

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That sounds a lot like Harry Potter!!!

*sigh* Look, there's the Kabbalah that dingbats like Madonna study, and then there's real Kabblah, which has been part of Judaism for ages.

Put loosely, Kabbalah is Jewish mysticism, like sufism in Islam. Its main text is the Zohar, a mystical commentary on the Torah. It's most popular with Hasidim, and while not everyone believes in the old tradition that you have to be a male of at least 40 to study Kabbalah, you do need a background in Torah and Talmud. Especially because the Zohar is written in Aramaic.

What Madonna's doing? It's fake, and it's a bit of an insult to those who spend their whole lives in devotion to these texts. The Kabbalah Center is, as far as I can see, a thinly-disguised money-making scheme and a borderline cult.

Updated On: 6/14/05 at 04:38 PM

Plum- that helps. I did think one needed to be a 40-year old male to study it, but then Madonna, Roseanne Barr, etc etc began studying it in their late 30s.

And yes, as much as I love Madge, what she seems to be doing is throwing away a LOT of money. She's building a Kabbalah Hotel in London, has opened a school, and is always seen drinknig Kabbalah water (rolls eyes). Also, Ashton Kutcher is going to push a new Kabbalah Energy Drink.

I had a sneaking suspicious that the mystical side of this could be really fascinating. I'll continue my studies- I've delved into Hinduism, Sufism (though tough to crack as it is a very protected "sect"), and others and found them to be incredibly interesting.

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I would have said the exact same thing Plum. You really have be to very learned in religious texts. I was just in Tzfat where Kabbalah originated and we actually discussed this since Paris Hilton will be visiting there.

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